Breakdown of Het glaswerk is breekbaar, dus pak het in met inpakpapier.
zijn
to be
met
with
het
it
dus
so, therefore
inpakken
to wrap
het glaswerk
the glassware
breekbaar
fragile (breakable)
het inpakpapier
the wrapping paper
Questions & Answers about Het glaswerk is breekbaar, dus pak het in met inpakpapier.
Why is the order pak het in and not pak in het?
Inpakken (to pack or wrap up) is a separable verb. In a main clause or command like this one, the verb splits. The main verb stem (pak) comes first, and the separable prefix (in) moves to the end of the clause. The direct object (het) must be placed between them.
How does the suffix -baar function in the word breekbaar?
The Dutch suffix -baar works exactly like the English suffixes -able or -ible. It attaches to a verb stem to indicate that something can undergo that action. Here, breek (break) plus -baar literally means breakable, which translates to fragile.
Why does glaswerk use het instead of de?
All compound nouns ending in -werk are neuter, so they always take the definite article het. The suffix -werk is used similarly to the English -ware or -work to describe a collective category of items, just like zilverwerk (silverware) or voetwerk (footwork).
Does the word dus change the word order here?
Not in this case. While dus can sometimes trigger inversion when used as an adverb, the second clause here is an imperative (a command). In imperative sentences, the verb (pak) naturally sits at the very beginning of its clause regardless of the preceding conjunction.
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